Winter Woods by Sonoma Scent Studios

This house puts a smile on my face. My first sample of Ambre Noir was a nice experience and now Winter Woods is proving to be as good or even better.

As a fan of wood, I'm disappointed more often than not when it comes to masculines sporting the name WOODS in their name and description. Winter Woods is a very smooth rendition of wood with just the right amount of smoke to make this smell downright sexy. You must be ready for thick and dense in order to appreciate Laurie Erickson and in Winter Woods, you get not only that, but hints of animalics as well.

The Guaiacwood opens Winter Woods and has a balsamic quality to it.  Laurie made sure this was a woody by incorporating not only Guaiac, but Sandal and Cedar as well. Unlike the drier versions of other woodies, Winter Woods has a lush and moist rendition going on in it. Imagine a warehouse of different and assorted timbers that went up in a fire. What I smell are the ones that didn't burn because they couldn't. They simply weren't dried out enough, yet inherited the collateral smoke that comes with being in close proximity to smoke. This isn't a scratchy smoke aroma. This is smooth like very old scotch.

The Birch tar and Cade usher in a steady stream of tarry smoke that has leather on its heels. This is good stuff folks and the castoreum must be Laurie's way to reinforce the leathery tar accord. It never ceases to contribute here in Winter Woods and it is this that makes it a special fragrance.

Underneath the smoke and woodpile are very subtle earthy elements trying to free themselves. On me, they never do succeed, but they also don't go unnoticed. The smoky wood proves too much for them and keeps them under wraps.

Sillage for Winter Woods is exemplary and the longevity is........well let's just say a baby epoch will pass away sooner than this will from your skin. Although you can't see it from here, I have both thumbs and my right big toe pointed upwards for Laurie's Winter Woods. Nice job...................